Silent Forest
by Shadowblade217
Summary: Before Stefan Salvatore returned to Mystic Falls to start a life with Elena Gilbert, he spent some time living deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. During that time, he encountered a young forest ranger, a dangerous poacher… and a mysterious creature, something completely unknown to him. The question is; is it friend or foe? Crossover with Lost Tapes.


**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**The Vampire Diaries**_** or **_**Lost Tapes**_**.**

_**Silent Forest**_

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**Chapter 1: Solitude**

_Pacific Northwest_

_June 2005_

Stefan Salvatore sat in a chair on the front porch of his cabin, watching the sun setting over the trees. He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, a black leather jacket, and black hiking boots. He smiled to himself.

_This place is perfect_.

Stefan had been at this remote hunting cabin for almost three months now, and he had yet to regret his decision to move here. He had purchased the cabin from an old friend the previous year; it was about as far removed from civilization as one could get in the continental United States. The nearest town was more than a hundred miles away.

In other words, this hunting cabin was exactly what Stefan had wanted; a place as remote and removed from society as he could find.

Stefan had spent the majority of his life trying to control himself, keeping his bloodlust in check. Part of being a vampire was that his thirst never faded; as a result, he had been forced to do everything he could to avoid harming human beings. He'd seen in the past what he was capable of when he dropped all restraint; in the past, he had left a trail of blood and corpses across half the country.

But that wasn't him anymore. Stefan had become determined to learn self-control so that he wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone. His solution had been to change his diet, feeding on animal blood instead of human. To train his body to subsist on animal blood, he had decided to isolate himself from any other humans while he became accustomed to the change in food source.

And what better way to do that than by taking up residence in a place that was as far from civilization as possible?

Stefan had grown accustomed to the log cabin; it was much more comfortable than it had first appeared. The two-story structure contained a large living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms; one downstairs, one upstairs. Part of the first floor was also devoted to a large garage, where the car that Stefan had taken here – a large silver Jeep, with a four-wheel-drive system – was parked. Since the cabin was over an hour's drive time from the nearest gas station, the place's former owner had arranged to have an onsite gas tank installed, so Stefan could refuel the car without having to drive anywhere. There was even a satellite dish on the roof, enabling television and cell phone reception; Stefan had been particularly grateful for that, because otherwise he would have been bored out of his mind after a while.

All in all, the house was everything Stefan could have hoped for.

As Stefan sat on the porch, leaning admiring the sunset, an odd sound in the distance caught his attention. He sat upright, frowning, and listened more closely.

After a few seconds, the sound repeated; a long, drawn-out, reverberating wail, echoing over the trees. It was faint, even to Stefan, meaning that it had to be miles away.

Stefan frowned, standing up. _What _is_ that?_

A third wail followed, and then the sounds ceased.

For a minute or so, Stefan remained on the porch, looking out into the forest. When no more sounds reached his ears, he shrugged. _Probably nothing._

The sun finally descended behind the distant mountains, and the sky began to darken. Stefan could see as clearly as if it had been broad daylight, so he wasn't concerned. In fact, he was pleased. It was time for his nightly expedition into the surrounding forest.

While the cabin was equipped with a fully stocked pantry, containing enough provisions for a year without having to leave the area, Stefan didn't just survive on human food. Being a vampire, he required a different source of nourishment.

Stefan smiled as the sunlight faded. Although the charmed daylight ring he wore protected him from the sun, he still felt more comfortable at night. It was who he was, after all.

Walking forward, Stefan hopped off the porch, making his way down the front steps of the cabin. Dry pine needles crunched under his feet as he started towards the treeline.

Then Stefan shifted, letting his inner vampire rise to the surface. His eyes filled with red, as black veins pulsed hungrily beneath them. His canines extended into long, razor-sharp fangs.

Stefan smiled, a growl rumbling in his chest.

_Time to hunt._

He sprang into motion, darting across the open gravel area in front of the cabin at superhuman speed and vanishing into the trees.

Somewhere deep in the forest, another inhuman wail sounded.

Night had fallen in the Pacific Northwest.

And a vampire was on the hunt.

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**AN: Hello, everyone, and welcome to my newest story, **_**Silent Forest**_**! In case some people are a little confused regarding the premise of this story, let me explain; this story is a crossover between **_**The Vampire Diaries**_** and an Animal Planet television show called **_**Lost Tapes**_**. If you've never seen **_**Lost Tapes**_**, it's a found footage-style series describing a series of encounters between ordinary people and various supernatural or paranormal creatures (Bigfoot, werewolves, vampires, aliens, hellhounds, sea monsters, etc.). I've loved that show for a long time, and I came up with the idea of having it cross over with an existing franchise that deals with supernatural creatures; in this case, **_**The Vampire Diaries**_**. For those of you who have seen **_**Lost Tapes**_** before, this story is based on Season 1, Episode 2, "Bigfoot". We'll be getting into the actual plot of the episode next chapter, so stay tuned!**

**I greatly enjoy getting comments and feedback on my writing, so if anyone has a question or comment for me, regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please; that's not fun for me or for anyone else).**

**See you all next time!**


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